Surely I remember?The coach that look the Sixth Formersto see the Blakes and the Impressionists and the
Post-Impressionistsand the
Cubists, and the sculpture of Rodin?Van Gogh's chair, Modigliani's wonderful peasant boy,Beatrice addressing the Likely Lads from the car,the Simoniac Pope?Surely, I remember.

Fifty years ago!And now I go back to see The Ghost of a Fleaso well remembered, and The Man Who Built the Pyramids(forgotten – if seen) and James Ward's Gordale Scarand Maillol's three nymphs with identical leg-lengthsand a marvelous sunstruck outburst of Turners,all as potentas fifty years ago.

Part Two

But there's a lot new there, to see,and in Nineteen boxed-in Thirty Threethey'd have blushed red to knowsuch a pubic Delvauxand the sculpture would quite spoil their tea -

while one painting, The Sword Of The
Pig,shows in detail what leaves
of a figwere once much used to
hide(though Blake's drawings
tried) -a male organ quite
lifesize and big!

And McWilliam. His Eye, Nose and Cheekwould have boggled the minds of the meekwho were after Burne-Jonesand his temperate zones(not
Picasso, that two-faced old freak!),

They'd be mystified, as by George
Smiley,bye the abstract arcane
Bridget Riley -and go straight
as an arrowto the construct by
Caro?I don't think so,. Though
we rate them highly.

Still there's the trompe l'oeil
fresco/friezewhere in past
years they served all the teas,
Rex Whistler's pastiche!Now
it's red wine and quiche - but
the whole lot is what you can't
please!

Tate Gallery

Gavin Ewart (of Scottish descent) was born in London in 1916. He has worked as a
salesman, as a publisher, and as an advertising copywriter, as well as for the
British Council. His poems are contained in two books, The Collected Ewart
1933-1980 and Collected Poems 1980-1990. He has written three
books of verse for children - the latest being Like it or Not. He is
the Editor of The Penquin Book of Light Verse, and in 1991 he received
the Michael Braude Award for Light Verse from the American Academy and Institute
of Arts and Letters. Next book: 85 Poems (Hutchinson, Spring 1993)